1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trailer hitch guide for alignment of a ball and socket trailer hitch, and particularly to a trailer hitch guide which mounts on the trailer tongue and is pivotally repositioned out the way after alignment has been done.
2. Description of Related Art
Trailer hitches commonly use a socket of the trailer tongue which mates with a ball on a receiver bar attached to the towing vehicle in order to connect the trailer to the towing vehicle. The procedure usually involves jacking the trailer tongue so that the socket is above the horizontal plane of the ball and backing up the towed vehicle in order to align the ball to a position vertically under the socket, and lowering the socket to engage the ball. One of the problems frequently encountered is that the receiver bar and the trailer tongue are not visible to the driver of the towed vehicle during the connection process. Consequently, it may take several attempts to properly align the ball and socket, requiring the operator of the towing vehicle to get out of the vehicle and walk to the rear each time and estimate the correction required to obtain the proper angle and distance.
A variety of trailer hitch guides have been proposed to make this process quicker and easier. Many such devices use a V-shaped or U-shaped guide that is attached to the vehicle receiver hitch, draw bar, or ball coupler. Exemplary hitch guides of this type are shown in U.S. Des. Pat. No. 369,996, issued May 21, 1996 to T. S. Wylie; U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,183, issued Dec. 24, 1985 to C. E. Cook; U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,185, issued Oct. 3, 1989 to Chakroff et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,422, issued Apr. 2, 1996 to G. H. Austin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,316, issued Aug. 27, 1996 to R. B. Jones; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,256, issued Jul. 14, 1998 to T. W. Vass. A problem with these hitch guides is that they are either permanently mounted to the draw bar, where they may interfere with the ball and socket hitch during cornering, or they are removable and require installation before alignment of the ball and socket, removal after alignment, and storage and transport inside the vehicle or the trailer.
It would be desirable to have a trailer hitch guide that can be permanently mounted and which swivels or pivots to a retracted position when not being used for alignment of the ball and socket. Mounting a pivotal trailer hitch guide on the draw bar or receiver hitch is not practical, since the V-plates must be mounted above the draw bar behind the ball, so that the V-plates would have to swivel upward, thereby obscuring the vehicle license plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,466, issued Nov. 22, 1983 to W. S. Park, shows a hitch guide that attaches to the trailer tongue, but is removed from the tongue after alignment but before attaching the socket to the ball hitch. The ""466 hitch guide therefore requires attaching the guide to the trailer tongue both before and after alignment. A trailer hitch guide that is permanently mounted to the trailer tongue would afford greater convenience.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. The above inventions and patents fail to show a hitch guide having two lateral plates mounted on the hitch tongue and which is pivotally re-positioned when not in use.
The present invention is a trailer hitch guide adapted to enable a vehicle operator to hitch a trailer to a vehicle without assistance and without leaving the confines of his cab. The guide assembly includes a mounting plate and a pivot plate to which two lateral guide plates and a stop plate in a xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d configuration are pivotally attached, the mounting plate being attached to the trailer coupler or hitch tongue. In use, the ball mount of a receiver hitch, advancing toward the socket, is guided by the two lateral guide plates, which prevent it from straying and position the ball in direct vertical alignment with the socket. The stop plate is disposed between the two lateral guide plates, and prevents the receiver ball mount from being backed too far under the trailer tongue. Once the hitching operation is completed, the two lateral guide plates, including the stop plate, can be pivotally re-positioned beneath the trailer tongue so there is no interference with the ball and socket coupler when towing. The guide can be pivoted back into place for the same hitch guide process when needed later.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a trailer hitch guide which can quickly and easily be used and reused without removal.
It is another object of the invention to provide a trailer hitch guide that can quickly and easily be used during the guiding process and pivoted out of the way so there is no interference during towing.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a trailer hitch guide that uses two lateral plates and a stop for positioning and guiding the trailer hitch coupler onto the receiver ball.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a trailer hitch guide that is strong enough to withstand the forces generated when aligning the socket on a trailer tongue with the ball mounted on the draw bar.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.